Chinese tourists shun Japan over lunar new year holiday as rift deepens
Japanese prime minister’s refusal to back down over Taiwan comments brings more criticism and travel warnings from China
Chinese tourists are continuing to shun Japan in large numbers, with the country falling out of the top 10 destinations for those celebrating the lunar new year with a trip abroad.
Japan has had a dramatic drop in the number of Chinese visitors since the end of last year as a diplomatic row between Tokyo and Beijing over the security of Taiwan continues.
Continue reading...Taunts, harassment and assaults: landmark report finds racism at Australian universities is ‘systemic’
Survey by Australian Human Rights Commission found universities failed to meet duty of care, while complaints processes were ‘Kafkaesque’
Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
Racism is “systemic” at Australia’s universities, according to a landmark report found students have mocked their Palestinian peers with shouts of “terrorism”, some students have been followed by campus security and First Nations students have been compared to “petrol sniffers” in lecture halls.
The report also found Jewish students were fearful to attend classes, with one harassed for wearing their kippa walking to class and another who described people screaming “send them to the camps” at a group of Jews on campus.
Continue reading...Waste piles up in Cuba as US-imposed fuel blockade halts collection trucks
US-Iran talks live: Second round to begin in Geneva
Monopoly Round-Up: Why the “AI God” Narrative is Actually a Corporate Power Grab – BIG substack.
- Monopoly Round-Up: Why the "AI God" Narrative is Actually a Corporate Power Grab BIG substack.
- The Doomsday Scenario for AI and Jobs Derek Thompson | Substack
- Those who most need to understand AI don't get it The Jakarta Post
- The right isn’t ready for the impact of AI The Spectator
- Opinion | A.I. May Put Progressives to the Test The New York Times
Bacteria Frozen For 5,000 Years Could Fight Superbugs, But There’s a Catch – ScienceAlert
- Bacteria Frozen For 5,000 Years Could Fight Superbugs, But There's a Catch ScienceAlert
- Bacteria frozen in ancient underground ice cave found to be resistant against 10 modern antibiotics Frontiers
- 5,000-year-old bacteria thawed in Romanian ice cave Popular Science
- Researchers find antibiotic-resistant bacteria from 5,000 years ago Euronews.com
- Ancient bacteria from 5,000-year-old ice reveals clues to fighting superbugs The Conversation
A Ukrainian drone pilot found a hidden Russian arsenal, only to discover it was filled with horses and old cars – Business Insider
Judge orders Trump administration to restore Philadelphia slavery exhibit
China’s high-speed rail network accelerates world’s largest human migration – Financial Times
- China’s high-speed rail network accelerates world’s largest human migration Financial Times
- China’s Lunar New Year travel rush begins with record 9.5 billion trips expected AP News
- China hopes for a bumper lunar new year as world’s biggest migration begins The Guardian
- The Retail Hotspots for Chinese New Year Tourists The Business of Fashion
- China's Lunar New Year travel rush is world's biggest annual migration Reuters
The Multipolar Delusion – Foreign Affairs
- The Multipolar Delusion Foreign Affairs
- What is the 'rules-based order' and can it survive? DW.com
- 🚨⚖️ Leaders of Canada and Germany Announce that International Law and Rules are Effectively Over. This is the most important email I've sent to you in a very long time. thenorthstar.com
- FO Talks: Decoding Mark Carney’s Davos Speech Amid Rising Global Strategic Competition Fair Observer
- The new world disorder, from rules to might The Hindu
Australia refuses to repatriate ISIS-linked citizens in Syria as escape attempt fails – CNN
- Australia refuses to repatriate ISIS-linked citizens in Syria as escape attempt fails CNN
- Tony Burke ‘taking advice’ from security agencies about Australian women and children in Syria seeking to return The Guardian
- Australians with alleged IS ties are turned back after departing Syrian camp for repatriation AP News
- Australian IS families in Syria camp turned back after leaving for home BBC
- Australian PM Albanese says no help for ISIL relatives held in Syria camp Al Jazeera
Train derails in Switzerland, injuring five amid avalanches in the Alps
Australian PM Albanese says no help for ISIL relatives held in Syria camp
Trump says he will be involved ‘indirectly’ in Iran nuclear talks
Lunar New Year 2026 live: Year of the Fire Horse – BBC
- Lunar New Year 2026 live: Year of the Fire Horse BBC
- Lunar New Year 2026 Google Doodles
- The Year of the Fire Horse Is Here for the 1st Time in 60 Years! What it Means for You TODAY.com
- Chinese zodiac predictions: What’s in store for 2026 as we enter the Year of the Fire Horse CNN
- Lunar New Year 2026: Celebrations around the world BBC
Iran Update, February 16, 2026 – Institute for the Study of War
- Iran Update, February 16, 2026 Institute for the Study of War
- Iran Update, February 17, 2026 Institute for the Study of War
- Iran - Situation Assessment (February 2026): The Race to Rebuild the Nuclear and Missile Array, Casual Terror and the CRINK Alma Research and Education Center
- Iran operating secret ‘black box’ sites holding thousands in detention: reports Fox News
- Iran News in Brief – February 17, 2026 National Council of Resistance of Iran - NCRI